Anita Goel | |
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Born | Worcester, Massachusetts, USA |
Residence | United States |
Nationality | American |
Fields | Physicist and physician |
Institutions | Harvard University |
Alma mater | Harvard University MIT Harvard Medical School Stanford University |
Doctoral advisor | Dudley Robert Herschbach |
Known for | Molecular motors Nanobiophysics Nanotechnology |
Anita Goel Hindi:अनीता गोयल is a Harvard-MIT trained physicist and physician in the United States. She is notable for her research at the nano-bio level, particularly for the study of molecular mechanics behind the reading and writing of information in DNA.
She obtained her Ph.D. from the Physics Department at Harvard University, under the mentorship of Nobel Prize winner Dudley R. Herschbach, with a thesis entitled Single Molecule Dynamics of Motor Enzymes Along DNA. Her physics honors thesis mentor at Stanford University was Nobel Laureate Steven Chu. She also holds an MD from the Harvard-MIT Joint Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST).
In 2005, Goel was named to the MIT Technology Review TR35 as one of the top 35 innovators in the world under the age of 35.[1][2] She is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Nanobiosym, Inc. Her work at Nanobiosym has been recognized by a number of prestigious funding awards from the United States Department of Defense and DARPA, DTRA, and US Department of Energy. The recipient of numerous honors and an esteemed speaker at major international conferences, Goel has quickly emerged as a leading researcher in the field of nanobiophysics and nanobiotechnology. Goel is also a Fellow of the World Technology Network, a Fellow-at-Large of the Santa Fe Institute,an Adjunct Professor at the Beyond Institute for Fundamental Concepts in Physics,and an Associate of the Harvard Physics Department. She serves as a Trustee and Scientific Advisor to India-Nano, an organization devoted to bridging breakthrough advances in nanotechnology with the burgeoning US and global nanotech sectors. While at Stanford University, Goel envisioned building a hi-tech bridge between developed and developing world countries. Inspired by this vision, Goel founded and chaired SETU (Sanskrit for “bridge”), an international conference and think tank composed of world leaders from academic, business, political, and humanitarian sectors dedicated to bridging these worlds.
Dr. Goel was invited to provide expert testimony before the US Senate Subcommittee on Science, Technology and Innovation chaired by Senator John Kerry to support the reauthorization of the $1.5 billion U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative. She was also invited to Chair the Roundtable on “Using Science and Technology as a Tool for International Diplomacy” at the 2009 Science and Technology in Society Forum in Kyoto, Japan.
In June 2010, Dr. Goel was invited by PCAST to discuss President Barack Obama's “Strategy for American Innovation” and roadmap for harnessing nanotechnology to stimulate the US economy. In June 2011, Nanobiosym Chairman and CEO Dr. Goel and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair delivered a joint Keynote Address in Madrid, Spain on Tackling the Global Challenges at the Novartis Forum. Dr. Goel spoke on how emerging science and technologies can be harnessed to address the most pressing global challences.
Dr. Goel serves on the Board of Overseers of the Boston Museum of Science, the National Board of the Museum of Science and Industry, the Nanotechnology Advisory Board of Lockheed Martin Corporation and is a Charter Member of TIE.
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One of Nanobiosym's flagship nanotechnology platforms is based on Gene-RADAR(R), enabling for instance a mobile device to diagnose disease by detecting “molecular fingerprints” or DNA and RNA signatures from a drop of blood or saliva. Such Gene-RADAR technology based capabilities are poised to provide a quantum leap in developing countries in particular, where medical facilities are often crude and portability of equipment is extremely important. These devices would provide a way to make instant diagnoses, on the spot, in contrast to the current standard method of taking a blood sample and waiting days for the results to come back. The treatment can begin much sooner, with a much more accurate diagnosis. It could enable onsite detection of hazardous agents in bioterrorist attacks. Gene-RADAR also has potential for water testing, food, beverage, agricultural and biofuel applications.